Google's Safe Browsing technology, which scrutinizes billions of URLs every day searching for malicious sites, has flagged Google.com as "partially dangerous," saying some pages on it has potentially dangerous content.
The tool warns that some pages on Google.com install malware on the computers of those who visit it.
"Attackers on this site might try to trick you to download software or steal your information (for example passwords, messages, or credit card information)," the Web tool says.
Furthermore, Safe Browsing says that a few pages on the site redirect visitors to hazardous websites that contain malware. Some of the unsafe sites the tool identifies include bou7out.blogspot.com, maeaflordapele.com and valeimaginar.blogspot.com.
While this news is definitely odd, and, yes, a bit funny, the Washington Post believes that there might be a logical explanation for it.
"[T]hose ominous warnings likely don't mean that visiting 'google.com' itself is dangerous," it says. "Instead, they suggest that some people have used Google services to host or link to something malicious, so the tool is flagging the whole domain as a little risky."
At the bottom part of Safe Browsing, there is also a note saying “Don’t panic.” The tool adds that sometimes, a few users push out unsafe content on sites that are more often than not safe. It goes on to say that it will soon update the safety status as soon as the webmaster has cleaned up content that are considered "bad."
Google's search arm is not the only major site to be tagged as such. Sites like tumblr.com and github.com are likewise deemed as "partially dangerous" by the tool.
Perhaps, the lesson that we could gain from this news is that the World Wide Web is not 100 percent safe and it could pose risks to users. This being said, the responsibility to surf safely lies more in the hands of users.
Another report from Engadget points out that the news just shows off that this Google's tool "isn't perfect."
"It's best to exercise caution even if it says that the URL you're visiting is safe," it says.
